Fukushima Nuclear Crisis Update for April 20th – April 23rd, 2012

Here’s the latest of our news bulletins from the ongoing crisis at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

Efforts to Restart Oi Reactors

A senior METI official, Seishu Makino, traveled to Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures this week in an effort to convince the governors there to approve the restart of reactors #3 and #4 at the Oi nuclear power plant. However, his efforts to do so were not successful. Shiga Governor Yukiko Kada complained, “Should a nuclear accident occur, damage would spread through the Kinki region [which includes Shiga Prefecture]...We have doubts regarding the transparency of information.” Kada was referring to the government’s recent assertions that the country will experience power shortages if the reactors are not restarted. Officials from both Shiga and Kyoto Prefectures have questioned the validity of those claims and are asking for a third-party panel to assess power needs for the summer months. Kada added that Makino’s explanations “were too abstract for us to move forward” in supporting the restart.

Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries is urging retailers to drop their own stricter safety standards for radiation contamination in food, in spite of consumers’ distrust of the government’s newly-established safety limits. Last year, the government said that general foods containing less than 500 Bq/kg of radioactive cesium were safe for human consumption. At the beginning of this month, they changed that standard to levels below 100 Bq/kg. However, in response to consumer concerns, a number of retailers have vowed to only sell products that have below-detectable cesium levels, as well as to post the radiation levels of those foods that do contain cesium. Ministry officials say that these independent standards may confuse people, and have ordered them to stop. One retailer explained, “We set our own criteria because consumers don’t trust the national standards. If the government tries to enforce only its standards, it will hurt its credibility.” Another pointed out that private-sector businesses have the right to add value to their products—in this case, by ensuring that they are safe to eat.

So, a circuit breaker deemed unable to withstand high levels of seismic activity was never replaced. This was in 1978. Did they think the breaker woul...

So, a circuit breaker deemed unable to withstand high levels of seismic activity was never replaced. This was in 1978. Did they think the breaker would get better in time or was the cost too much for them. It seems to always come down to the bottom line. Would the people in charge of wanting to lower safety standards for radiation in food feel safe giving the same food to their children or grandchildren knowing the effects of radiation may not show up for a few years. Thank you again Greenpeace

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(Unregistered) humm64
says:

Seems you are missing a lot of Info.
Reactor #4 building is about to collapse.
When it collapses, the fuel rods stored will be fully exposed and radiation equivalent to 85 Chernobyls will create chaos everywhere.

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Jan Haverkamp - Greenpeace
says:

@humm64 - We are not missing a lot of information, to be honest. The information on the pool of unit 4 is currently not as scary as some seem to belie...

@humm64 - We are not missing a lot of information, to be honest. The information on the pool of unit 4 is currently not as scary as some seem to believe and a lot of it comes from outside and cannot be independently confirmed. This overview tries to be as clean as possible and stay away from speculation.
In the early days after the hydrogen explosions, collapse of the fuel pool of unit 4 was a huge concern and TEPCO invested a lot in securing its stability.
That is not to say that it cannot go wrong. Another similar earthquake as we have seen last year, another similar tsunami, or a cyclone passing by could change the story completely - but not only for this fuel pool...
When there will be reliable and concerning information coming out on the fuel pool of unit 4 or one of the other fuel pools, you'll see it directly appearing on this blog.